Hello Substack friends,
Thank you for the kind comments on my last post talking about how heavy the world feels right now. Knowing so many of you feel the same really helped.
I thought to follow it up I would share some photos from my latest YouTube video and invite you all to enjoy the stillness of the images and hopefully inspire you to carve out time to go on your own photowalk before the month is over!
How To Go On A Photowalk
Okay so obviously it’s pretty straight forward but sometimes our anxiety can get in the way of even the simplest of plans right?
So here are some tips on how to plan for your next photowalk and make sure you actually get out the door, camera in hand and totally stress free.
Tip 1 - Schedule it in and keep it simple
If you are a procrastination sufferer, a person who tends not to actually do the thing they want to do then I guarantee it’s because of the following…
You overthink everything to the point of paralysing yourself
You can’t decide and therefore never get to the actual activity
You make things WAY more complicated than they need to be
I myself am guilty of all three. Let me know below if you relate?
Okay so let’s bust this behaviour right now so you can sidestep the self sabotage and actually use your camera(s)!
What gets scheduled gets done
If you don’t carve out the time the time will never happen, trust me. It took me like three weeks to open a letter that was on my desk once because I was waiting for the perfect moment. I ended up having to legit schdule in a time in my google calendar to do this 3 second task. No joke.
The reality is this: our lives are pretty fucked up right now, it’s chaos to just be alive so I’m not surprised that feeding ourselves, not becoming a screen addicted monster or just simply finding time to open a goddamn letter is so hard.
First step is to schedule in your photowalk so that time slot of your life is accounted for and only a dire occurrence or emergency will alter that.
Okay so you are locked and loaded with the when. Now we have the how which can get hairy really quickly if you don’t set some parameters.
Keep it all as simple as possible when it comes to gear. You don’t need your whole collection and even though you might like to have a few lens options along with some filters plus a point and shoot and the spare batteries or copious amounts of film you are really better off stripping it all back.
If you take too many cameras it’s likely you’ll just feel guilty when you don’t really use all of them or you’ll spend all your time switching from one to another and it will just kill your photowalk flow.
Just take one camera you know you vibe with and don’t worry too much if you don’t have the perfect focal length for every scene or you only have black and white film and you see a whole tin of yellow paint spilt on the pavement (this happened to me and it killed me haha).
The photowalk is 50% about the photos and 50% about the walk and all that comes with it.
This means it’s not really about the camera and its specs, it’s about the act of being outside, which in these trying modern times is something to pat yourself on the back for even doing. From there it’s all the benefits you are reaping from being in the fresh air and the elements, the movement of walking, the chance of maybe a fleeting social interaction, and of course noticing the spaces and scenes around you. This is where the photo part comes in.
What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Shoot
Walking out into the big wide world with your camera is like the equivalent to a writer sitting down to a blank piece of paper, hopeful and terrifying.
If it’s been a while since you’ve actually gotten out and shot, this can be amplified and have you turning back around, going home or maybe not even heading out in the first place. That is why you need some focus for you photowalk.
Mine is built in easily because it’s normally a YouTube video with a concept and this is actually why I prefer shooting for YouTube because I know my purpose and that helps me to get started and keep going.
For you though it might look like a simple constraint.
Choosing a colour or a certain subject matter can be a great simple one to implement to avoid you flailing and thinking “why did I even bother” or maybe it’s something a little more cerebral like a feeling or mood you want to capture.
You can choose a gear constraint of course but I find this makes you more in the gear headspace than the actual photo one but you do you.
You can also use your choice of location to inform these constraints too, so consider this before you schedule in your walk. For example, you might want busy scenes because you are wanting to focus on people, maybe block out a day when there is an event.
Perhaps you want to capture a nostalgic mood? Consider picking an older part of town and planning ahead to drive there and even considering what’s along the way that you could add in?
I often like to circle back to an area if it’s been a little while because things will likely look different this time and I enjoy seeing how differently I can capture the location a second or third time.
As you can see here this is endless so don’t get too caught up on it but make sure you have something to draw from when you are actually in the field in case you start feeling doubtful, uninspired or a bit rusty.
If you want to see my most recent photowalk adventure to get you inspired and plan your own then watch my latest YouTube video here or click below. These types of videos never perform as well as gear focused ones so please do give it a thumbs up if you enjoy and leave a comment so it can be shown to more people who will appreciate it. Thank you :)
Other Considerations To Make This Photowalk An Epic one
All walks are different and some yield many bangers and some just don’t. That’s okay!
As someone who has been recording many of their walks for well over 4 years now it’s never a guarantee what you will capture which is why I place emphasis on other parts of the experience to safeguard myself from bangerless endeavours.
FOOD - Plan your walk around it! I can’t tell you how often my photo location for a video is dictated by a sandwich or unbelievable pastry option nearby. Making it about the lunch or little coffee break is a great way to take the pressure off you having to take great photos. Just enjoy the journey to the sandwich and the photos are a byproduct.
FRIENDS - I personally prefer to photowalk alone (or with Lux filming me of course) because when I’m with people I don’t actually take many photos. But for some, being with people can really help. Maybe you can meet halfway or just organise a catch up for afterwards so again you feel as though you are just out killing time before the social plans. Anything to take the pressure off and also get you out with your camera!
MUSIC/PODCAST - I know it’s idyllic to hear the bird song but a solo photowalk can also be a prime time to chuck on that new deftones release or listen to that 2 hour podcast you’ve been chipping away at uninterrupted. I love listening to music when I’m walking around (if it’s safe to do so) because I imagine I’m in a movie and this is the soundtrack. Even if you only take a handful of photos but you got some quality ‘you’ time in to absorb not one but two of your interests, that my friend, is a big win!
All in all it’s just good to get out there and engage in something other than an endless depressing newscycle and remind yourself that you have such an amazing creative outlet.
I appreciate you reading here and watching on YouTube and I’ll be in your inbox next week with more thoughts.
Love Lucy x
I took my old Nikon F out for a walk yesterday, probably for the first time in about a year. It felt good!
absolutely on point. Thanks for the Rx, Lucy Lumen !